Depending on the ground being planted (FS, WDFW, DNR, public, etc), non-natives are a tough issue, due to state and federal laws about introducing them. There are many that could be very beneficial, and a lot of them are being tested and hopefully will be allowed in the future. For now, bitterbrush, sagebrush, choke cherry, bunch grasses, and a few others are the go-to plants.Bitterbrush, depending on who you talk to, is a very low-success rate plant. It is very hard to start, which is why we seed much more than needed if they were all successful. Same with plugs; many won't survive or will be eaten, so you have to put a lot out in any given area for hopes of success. It's by no means the favored food of mule deer, but during high snow events, it tends to be the only thing standing high enough above the snow that is of value to them, so it's important for us to continue with.I had heard from Todd that his plugs either didn't make it through either because of dry weather or deer, so I don't think he has any available for us, but let me know if anyone hears different from him. Best time to plant the plugs is during the early winter (right now is great), and you can also drill seed this time of year. Broadcasting and drilling is usually done in the Spring. For an individual, and what our project did last week, ski poles were used to create a small hole, and a "pinch" of seed (5 or 6 seeds) were dropped in. Simple, and now we just hope to get the weather that we'll need as the seasons turn next year. If anyone has success in some plantings this fall or next spring, please share photos! If allowed, I'd like to include some pics in the future for an article for our national magazine about the habitat work being done in all of our burned out areas.

bitterbrush is very hard to grow I have lived in the Okanogan valley all my life I knew when those fires went threw that area it would never be like that again in my lifetime so sad. I know replanting is a big picture for the future but my opinion is getting these deer threw the winter is what is more important than a plant that will take years to be productive. I know the ranchers very well in the area most the deer migrate to there ranches I would focuse more on hay to feed them this winter. I don't know if any of you are familiar with the conconully highway but pretty much every landowner on that road is against any hunting at this time. I will give an example I have hunted a ranch just before conconully for 13 years never once had a problem friends of the family for years. this fall I stop in to see if he was allowing any hunting and before I could finish I had my answer. I am really sorry but the deer have been threw so much we are not letting anybody hunt this year one ranch even was a leased ranch that told the club there would be no hunting this year. I know these ranchers would gladly feed the deer this winter cause if there is a bad winter there wont be any deer. they have tractors and lots of land I personally am going to buy some hay to be feed this winter anybody who is interested please call me my name is mark 5093228458

Whatever you do, please DO NOT provide hay for the mule deer as winter feed; it can kill them. There is a special pellet that is made up for wildlife, and in particular, mule deer, and it contains a lot that they need to stay healthy. There are feeders that were built and/or repaired last year, and if WDFW sees the conditions that are necessary, they will let us know that the process may be needed.I know a lot of you will help with local landowners feeding anyway, and no one can stop you. But please do not use hay! You could cause more deaths than you would help avoid. Do some checking around with local feed suppliers and see if they have any pelletized feed available.

Whatever you do, please DO NOT provide hay for the mule deer as winter feed; it can kill them. There is a special pellet that is made up for wildlife, and in particular, mule deer, and it contains a lot that they need to stay healthy. There are feeders that were built and/or repaired last year, and if WDFW sees the conditions that are necessary, they will let us know that the process may be needed.I know a lot of you will help with local landowners feeding anyway, and no one can stop you. But please do not use hay! You could cause more deaths than you would help avoid. Do some checking around with local feed suppliers and see if they have any pelletized feed available.

In 2008 we fed over a 100 head of deer with our horses and mules, didn't see any deer dying from the hay. The end of February a cougar came through one night and killed 7 coming yearling fawns.

Funny thing, when the bad winters hit ranchers, farmers etc. feed the deer, and on occasions WDFW are finally shamed in to setting up their little pellet feed stations along the county roads, thats where we see the dead deer. Some say WDFW wait too long to feed the deer, and the feed is to rich which causes the deer to bloat, or maybe they are so starved up by that time they the new source of food is to much.

Whatever you do, please DO NOT provide hay for the mule deer as winter feed; it can kill them. There is a special pellet that is made up for wildlife, and in particular, mule deer, and it contains a lot that they need to stay healthy. There are feeders that were built and/or repaired last year, and if WDFW sees the conditions that are necessary, they will let us know that the process may be needed.I know a lot of you will help with local landowners feeding anyway, and no one can stop you. But please do not use hay! You could cause more deaths than you would help avoid. Do some checking around with local feed suppliers and see if they have any pelletized feed available.

In 2008 we fed over a 100 head of deer with our horses and mules, didn't see any deer dying from the hay. The end of February a cougar came through one night and killed 7 coming yearling fawns.

Funny thing, when the bad winters hit ranchers, farmers etc. feed the deer, and on occasions WDFW are finally shamed in to setting up their little pellet feed stations along the county roads, thats where we see the dead deer. Some say WDFW wait too long to feed the deer, and the feed is to rich which causes the deer to bloat, or maybe they are so starved up by that time they the new source of food is to much.

Meanwhile back on the ranches the hay fed deer are doing just fine.

I would mostly agree, lots of deer eat all winter with cow feeding operations. Lots of sportsmen complain in other states about F&G waiting too long to begin feeding. I think MuleDeer was referring to taking hay out to deer that haven't had any hay previously in the winter.

I feed deer all winter at my place...not just when we get really bad weather though. So does my neighbor. The deer seem to do just fine...except for the couple that got eaten by cougars.

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